From
the Pastor's Desk
Greetings in the name of the Lord. Since I
last wrote, we have turned over a New Year. I pray it will be a prosperous
and happy one for all of you. Unfortunately, the early days of 2010
have seen a horrible natural disaster occur in Haiti, the poorest country
on earth, as I understand it. How are we to respond?
May will begin to ask the "Why?"
question. In theological circles, this is called the question of "theodicy."
"Why do such terrible things happen to good people?" "If
God is good, why would God allow such tragedy?" Asking these questions
and processing them can be productive, especially if these reflections
lead us to helpful actions. Unfortunately, many view negative answers
as an excuse to abandon their faith. I'm not going to spend a lot of
time in this devotion on the question of theodicy for two reasons: 1)
Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote a landmark book, "When Bad Things Happen
to Good People," on the subject. I commend it to you. 2) One of
our Western PA United Methodist pastors and District Superintendents,
Dr. Eric Park, wrote a great blog on the subject. Check it out at www.ericpark.org. Hopefully your questioning will lead you to want to do something in
the face of this suffering in Haiti. Here are some suggestions:
1. Pray for the people of Haiti and for the relief workers already
"on the ground."
2. GIVE GENEROUSLY to: the Red Cross, Christian organizations like
World Vision, or to your own
church's relief agency. Ours in The United Methodist Church is UMCOR.
3. Consider becoming part of a short-term relief worker through your
church or some other organization. These teams will be forming in the
coming weeks (after the initial assessment by government and medical
teams). Make sure your passport is active and get the necessary immunizations
from your doctor, if you think you will join a team. That way you will
be ready when the opportunity presents itself.
Maybe not in the ways we had hoped, but 2010
is off and running. May the Spirit of God go with us into whatever is
ahead. I pray the economy continues its recovery to people can go back
to work and others don't lose their homes. I pray that our elected officials
find a just way to offer health care to those who have none. I pray
that peace will overtake terrorism, and that our men and women in uniform
overseas will come safely home to family and loved ones. I pray that
those looking for God's love and forgiveness will find it through the
grace of Jesus Christ in the New Year.
Hey, we would love to see you in Sunday School
and worship here at First Church. We do have something for all age groups,
and we're excited about what God is doing in our midst. Come and see!
Sunday School is at 9:30AM. Worship is at 8:00AM (Communion in the Crary
Chapel), 11:00AM (Traditional in the Sanctuary), and 6:00PM (Contemporary
"Coffee House" in Founders Hall on the second floor).
First United Methodist Church is a friendly,
family community of faith that truly does its best to emulate the United
Methodist slogan: "Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors." You
are welcome here; no, more than that, we want you to come be part of
our faith family.
If
we may be of service to you in your Christian walk, please email us
or give us a call.
Shalom,
Dr. Jeffrey D. Sterling
"Jeff"
Lectionary
Readings for the Week
Isaiah
55:1-9
Psalm
27
I
Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke
13:1-9
Special
Concern
Mrs.
Vesta Moore, Watson Home, 1200 Conewango Ave., Warren, PA 16365
Prayer
Concerns
If you have
a special prayer concern that you would like to share with the church,
you can do so by phoning the church office: 723-4930.
Churches
to Pray For:
Warren Christian
Missonary Alliance, John Mechtly, pastor.
First Assembly
of God, Frank Lanza, pastor.
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